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Source Description
This sarcophagus, also called the "Childhood Sarcophagus," depicts the birth of the god Dionysus (the Roman Bacchus) in exquisitely detailed high relief. At the left, the newborn god is nursed by a nymph and surrounded by Silenus-his future teacher-and other attendants, including one preparing a basin for the child's first bath. A panther cub, the god's favorite animal, is seated on the ground. To the right, satyrs and maenads, including a drunken old man, celebrate the god's birth. On the lid, satyrs and maenads-followers of the wine god-feast at a banquet. On the sides of the lid, Dionysus's panther drinks from an overturned wine vessel. The coffin is small, as if made for a child rather than for an adult.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
16574
label
Sarcophagus Depicting the Birth of Dionysus
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
16574
sourceUrl
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Sarcophagus Depicting the Birth of Dionysus
description
This sarcophagus, also called the "Childhood Sarcophagus," depicts the birth of the god Dionysus (the Roman Bacchus) in exquisitely detailed high relief. At the left, the newborn god is nursed by a nymph and surrounded by Silenus-his future teacher-and other attendants, including one preparing a basin for the child's first bath. A panther cub, the god's favorite animal, is seated on the ground. To the right, satyrs and maenads, including a drunken old man, celebrate the god's birth. On the lid, satyrs and maenads-followers of the wine god-feast at a banquet. On the sides of the lid, Dionysus's panther drinks from an overturned wine vessel. The coffin is small, as if made for a child rather than for an adult.
provenance
[Excavated from the so-called Licinian tomb, via Piave, Rome, 1885]; Clemente Maraini, 1885, by excavation; Don Marcello Massarenti, Rome, by 1894, by purchase [marble no. 5]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1902, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
150-160 CE (Imperial)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Sculpture
sarcophagi (coffins)
covers
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
47.2
height
151.1
depth
51.1
dimensionsRaw
H: 18 9/16 x W: 59 1/2 x D: 20 1/8 in. (47.2 x 151.1 x 51.1 cm)
Source extras
cul
Roman
med
Thasian marble
creator_ids
6191
collection_ids
ROM
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
82de67c257300bc3